Années de pèlerinage I (Première année: Suisse), S. 160
Années de pèlerinage (Years of Pilgrimage) is a set of three suites for solo piano by Liszt. It is widely considered a masterwork and summation of Liszt's musical style. The title refers to Goethe's famous novel of self-realization, 'Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship'. Liszt clearly places the work in line with the Romantic literature of his time, prefacing most pieces with a literary passage from writers such as Schiller, Byron or Senancour. Première année: Suisse" ("First Year: Switzerland"), S. 160, was published in 1855. It was composed between 1848 and 1854, most of its pieces being revisions of 'Album d'un voyageur Pt. 1: Impressions et Poesies'. Vallée d'Obermann (Obermann's Valley) was inspired by Senancour's novel of the same title, set in Switzerland, with a hero overwhelmed and confused by nature.
